I'm still excited about lap and chair drumming, a month later. I've got to tell you about two awesome success stories in my classroom.
MYP Year 1: Grade 6 xBlock
xBlock is a new course that some schools are doing. Like Creative New Undertakings or Genius Hours, this is a course in which students are allowed to pursue any line of inquiry approved by their mentor teacher. I currently have two grade 6s who want to have a rock band. One is learning bass guitar and the other drum kit. Unfortunately, my drummer was terrified of touching the drums. He was worried that the sticks would go through the skins. He was worried it would be too loud and would upset people. He was worried that he wouldn't be good enough. In general, he was just worried.
We went into the hallway and turned on the Just Play Drums PPTX file. Together, the two of us went through few tutorials. Once he was comfortable, I headed off to help my other xBlock musicians. The boy worked through the file. First, lap drumming, and then chair drumming. Over the next few classes, he became more and more confident. When he was finally ready to move to the drum kit, his confidence was soaring. He hit the drums loudly and proudly. He was now ready to start working on his piece with his partner.
We made up an xBlock promo video featuring the boy as he explained his progress through the creative cycle. The xBlock coordinator was amazed. He kept saying, "The level of confidence! The use of vocabulary! He really knows his stuff and is talking with a lot of critical thinking!"
MYP Year 5: Grade 10 Music
With the normal turnover rate of International Schools, we often get kids in with very limited music skills. This year, I had a student arrive in grade 10 with zero background in music. She signed up for the course because she loves music... though she had no skills. She attempted finger-picking guitar, and that went okay. She tried ukulele and did pretty well. Then, I gave her the Just Play Drums video.
I was worried that it would seem too childish for her. After all, the block before I had a 10 year old working on it, and she's 17. However, she faithfully sat and lap drummed with fast concentration. Next came the chair drumming. Over the next few classes, I walked around the different groups and didn't focus on how she was doing. On day, I noticed she was teaching another new boy how to drum. She was teaching him pretty complicated rhythms, especially for a newbie, and he was struggling a bit. I followed her back into her group's practice room to see how they were doing --> she was wonderful! It sounded like she'd been playing the drums for two months or more. She had more complicated rhythms than you'd expect for someone only playing for two weeks, and her sense of beat was spot-on.
So yes, still completely enamored with Musical Futures' Just Play series.
Here's a little present for you --> another rhythm sheet for your lap or chair drummers. This one is a rumba groove. Enjoy!
MYP Year 1: Grade 6 xBlock
xBlock is a new course that some schools are doing. Like Creative New Undertakings or Genius Hours, this is a course in which students are allowed to pursue any line of inquiry approved by their mentor teacher. I currently have two grade 6s who want to have a rock band. One is learning bass guitar and the other drum kit. Unfortunately, my drummer was terrified of touching the drums. He was worried that the sticks would go through the skins. He was worried it would be too loud and would upset people. He was worried that he wouldn't be good enough. In general, he was just worried.
We went into the hallway and turned on the Just Play Drums PPTX file. Together, the two of us went through few tutorials. Once he was comfortable, I headed off to help my other xBlock musicians. The boy worked through the file. First, lap drumming, and then chair drumming. Over the next few classes, he became more and more confident. When he was finally ready to move to the drum kit, his confidence was soaring. He hit the drums loudly and proudly. He was now ready to start working on his piece with his partner.
We made up an xBlock promo video featuring the boy as he explained his progress through the creative cycle. The xBlock coordinator was amazed. He kept saying, "The level of confidence! The use of vocabulary! He really knows his stuff and is talking with a lot of critical thinking!"
MYP Year 5: Grade 10 Music
With the normal turnover rate of International Schools, we often get kids in with very limited music skills. This year, I had a student arrive in grade 10 with zero background in music. She signed up for the course because she loves music... though she had no skills. She attempted finger-picking guitar, and that went okay. She tried ukulele and did pretty well. Then, I gave her the Just Play Drums video.
I was worried that it would seem too childish for her. After all, the block before I had a 10 year old working on it, and she's 17. However, she faithfully sat and lap drummed with fast concentration. Next came the chair drumming. Over the next few classes, I walked around the different groups and didn't focus on how she was doing. On day, I noticed she was teaching another new boy how to drum. She was teaching him pretty complicated rhythms, especially for a newbie, and he was struggling a bit. I followed her back into her group's practice room to see how they were doing --> she was wonderful! It sounded like she'd been playing the drums for two months or more. She had more complicated rhythms than you'd expect for someone only playing for two weeks, and her sense of beat was spot-on.
So yes, still completely enamored with Musical Futures' Just Play series.
Here's a little present for you --> another rhythm sheet for your lap or chair drummers. This one is a rumba groove. Enjoy!
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